When it comes to hygiene and maintenance, goats can be some of the most demanding livestock animals. This is because many of their natural tendencies are flat out nasty. For instance, goats will sometimes drink their pee, and some like to roll around in their poop.

They will sometimes even poop in the same place they sleep. Considering goats’ dirty habits, it can be very hard to keep them and their surroundings clean. If you are in the process of building a barn or small goat house, you are probably wondering what are the best materials to use so you can still easily keep the space clean and hygienic. In today’s article, we are specifically going to discuss the best types of floor for a goat house. 

Best floor for goat house

The two best floors for a goat house are straw/dirt and cement/mats. These methods are quite different, and we will explain the pros and cons of each one.

Straw and dirt floor for goat house

The straw and dirt method essentially works like cat litter. You apply a layer of dirt on the ground of the goat house, and then put around 8 inches of straw on top. This type of flooring works well for goat’s that like to pee in the house. When they pee, the waste will dribble down to the bottom part of the floor where there is mostly dirt.

The same goes for when your goat poops in the house. If you use straw as the floor, you will not need to regularly clean the house, because all the waste will compost at the bottom. However, every week or so you will need to add a new layer of dry hay to the mix in order to keep your goat dry and replenish the hay that has been decomposed. While this method requires less time cleaning on a regular basis, your goat house will most likely have a pretty bad odor.

You will need to replace the dirt every couple months, because it will eventually become too hard and unable to absorb a lot of waste. One of the best pros of using straw and dirt is that you can use the composted material as fertilizer for your crops. 

Cement floor with rubber mat for goat house

Another option for the floor of your goat house is to lay down a layer of cement. Afterwards, you can lay soft rubber mats along the floor. This will most likely be more comfortable for your goat compared to hay. However, it will require more cleaning since the rubber mat can’t absorb a lot of waste.

Every week or so you will have to clean the rubber mats by washing them and then hanging them up to dry. While this does require more work, your goat house will definitely be a lot more hygienic and smell better. 

Why do goat houses need floors?

A goat house needs a proper floor for many reasons. In order for a goat to stay healthy, their floor needs to be dry. A goat that lives in a house with a wet floor is more susceptible to infections in their hooves. Additionally, having a proper floor in a goat house will help insulate heat and keep them warm.

You also want to have a floor that is clean so you can lower the spread of worms and other parasites that might attach to your goats. We do not recommend using wood as the floor of a goat house, because it retains too much water and can put your goat at risk of infection.